Brick-burning.



H. 0. ROBINSON & C. STEADMAN.

BRICK BURNING. N APPLCATION FILED APR. 17, 1911.

Patented Janf18,1916.

'UNlTED STATES liTlENT QFFICE, i

HENRY O. ROBINSON. OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, .AND CHRISTOPHER STEADMAN, OF HUGUENOT PARK, NEXV YORK.

BRICK-BURNING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jana i8, 19ML Application tiled April 17, 1911. Serial No. 621,673.

To all 10h om, it may concern.'

Be it known that we, HENRY O. ROBIN- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in the county of Non folk and State of Massachusetts, and CHRISTOPHER S'rnlinaniiv, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at l'lugue not lark, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented an lmprovement in Brick-Burning, of which .the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a. part hereof.

The present improvements are directed to the delivery or distribution of a forceddraft to a body of fuel in such a manner that the draft shall be distributed uniformly throughout the fuel-body, the invention having been devised with the object of improving conditions in brick-burning furnaces when forced-draft methods are used.

ln the accompanying drawings where the invention is sutliciently illustrated to enableit to be readily comprehended, Figurel is a view in side elevation of av portion of draft-conduit, showing its relation t-o a lirebox indicated in dotted lines, and, Fig. 2 is a sectional view, the plane of section being `indicated by the lines 2 2 in Fig. l, and

the fuel-body also being appropriately indicatefl.

The draft being generated in any suitable manner, it conveyed into a conduit Z which is located within the body of fuel 'i and preferably underneath such fuel which covers it at the top and sides (Fig. 2). This conduit may consist of a pipe closed at. one end by being hamn'iered down to a chisel edge (Fig. l) and being of such a shape as to extend throughout. the fuel-body. It is provided with a plurality of perforations throughout its length, and these perforatiens are so located as to deliver the draft downwardly, that is, not necessarily in a vertical direction, but in such a way as to prevent the draft from being blown outward and upward from the pipe directly through the fire. N here the latter operation occurs, the force of the draft causes it to shoot out straight from the apertures and, with comparatively little spreading, to work its way through the fuelY and out; and in such a c'ase it would require exceedingly numerous and fine perforations in the pipe in order to distribute the draft uniformly throughout the fuel-body. But by direct` ing the draft downwardly, it is compelled to reverse itscourse before it reaches and' penetrates the unconsumed fuel, whereby the several jets, constituting the. draft as it is ejected from the pipe d, unite and form a homogeneous draft column which ascende throughout the fuel-body.

By arranging the pipe l upon or near the bottom of the lire-box b, as shown in the drawing, and locating the perforations (Z3 along each side thereof near the bottom, the bottom of the fire-box acts as a sort of baftie for the draft-jets, spreading the draft out ultimately into a homogeneous column. It will be understood that various forms of apparatus will be capable of use in carrying out the improved method which is obviously independent of any particular mechanism.

ln the present case, a steam jet is indicated at g for creating the forced-draft, whereby air is entrained into the open end of the pipe d and a mixture of air and steam introduced within the fuel mass. The regulation of the draft may be effected from a valve (shown above the jet 9)' so that, in effect, the regulation of the draft takes plape while it is within the fuel mass. The delivery and regulation of the draft in this wavy insures that no relatively cool air or gases may find their way up through the kiln to hinder or otherwise affect the burning or the qualit-y of the burned brick.

As it is obvious that at different times, ashes or other matter as distinguished from green coal or burnable fuel, will surround or partially embed the pipe, either as a result oficombustion or through having been placed Vthere intentionally in the first instance. the terms fuel-mass and body7 used throughout the specification and claims will be understood to include what-l ever mass surrounds the pipe (l.

From the foregoing description` it will be evident that in accordance with our method of distributing a forced draft throughout the fuel in a brick kiln, we discharge from within the fuel bed a supply of air or other suitable gas and scatterthe air or other gas throughout the fuel bed, so as to cause it to be disseminated among'the particles of fuel before it issues from thc fuel bed, whereby the air or other gas may be combined with the fuel to effect development of combustible gases uniformly throughout the entire fuel area. We convey the draft into the interior of each fuel bed, delivering the draft there-A in at a number of points throughout the fuel bed and scatter the draft before itreaches 'B' the surface of the fuel bed, thereby eecting comminution of the draft and promoting uniform andr complete` combustion of the fuel without blowingl holes in the surface. In carrying out our method, we deliver the draft into theinterior'of the fuel bed and preferably. discharge the draft into the fuel or substantially the bottom ofthe fuel bed, and cause the draft so discharged to reverse its course to a substantial extent before reaching the surface-of the fuel bed, thereby scattering the draft throughout the particles of the fuel and promoting uniform and comvplete combustion of the fuel. In carrying' out our method, as hereinbefore set forth,^we convey the draft within the fuel bed in the furnace, delivering "it downwardly therein and subjecting the brick to be burned to the gases of combustion developed thereby;

' I be combined with lthe fuel to effect We claim as our mvention:

,1. lThe method of -promoting combustion of fuel in brick kilns,- which consists in discharging froml within the fuel bed a supply of air or other suitable gas, and-scattermg the air or other gas throughout the fuel bedi-I so vas to cause it to be disseminated among the particles of. fuel before it issues from the fuel bedJ whereby the air 'or otherv as may ment of combustible` gases unifor y throu hout the entire fuel area.

2. hemethod of distributing a forced draft throughout the fuel ina brick kiln which consists in conveying the draft inte the interior of each fuel bed, delivering th draft therein at a number of points through'- out the fuel bed, and scattering the draft before it reaches the surface of the fuel bed, thereby effecting comminution of -the draft and promoting uniform-and complete combustion of the fuel without blowing holes in4 its surface.

3. The method of distributing a forced draft throughout th'e fuel in a brick kiln, which consists in delivering the draft into the interior of a fuel" bed, discharging the draft into the fuel substantially at the bottom of the fuel bed, and causingvthe draft so discharged to reverse its course to a sub-v stantialextent before reaching the surface of the fuel bed, thereby scattering the draft throughout -the particles of fuel and pro! moting uniform and complete combustion of the fuel.

4. The method of burning brick in a l forced draft furnace` which comprises the 

